Best Compact Cars of December 2011

With the Mitsubishi Lancer SX not seemingly available anymore, the Hyundai i30 goes to the number one slot.

While currently cheaper than the i30, fuel consumption is slightly worse and you only get a Space Saver spare tyre.



It's been a long time since the Subaru Impreza has been back on this list, mainly because of its price and fuel consumption being on the high end. However with so little competition in the under $25,000 bracket for safe compact cars, it's managed to slip back in.

Best Light Cars of December 2011

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is still at the top. Although it might be thirstier than its competitors with fuel, it's still cheaper overall and comes with a full size spare tyre.

The Suzuki Swift comes in second place as it sits in between the Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta in terms of overall price. Comes with a space saver spare tyre.

Diesel has slightly gone up in price recently resulting in the Ford Fiesta being dropped from the list and being replaced by the Hyundai i20. Mind you, there's not much in it between any of the cars in this class.

Best Compact Cars of November 2011

As mentioned, I'm including hatchbacks again so the i30 is back in the mix.



$20,990 is a hard price to beat which helps the Mitsubishi Lancer into first place.

The Hyundai i30 is slightly more expensive than its competitors but fuel efficiency is also slightly better. Oh and it comes with a full size spare tyre.

The Mazda 3 comes in third place. Fuel consumption isn't bad but not as good as the other two.

Best Light Cars of November 2011

I actually put a requirement for sedans only last month but this month it doesn't matter if it's a hatchback or not.

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is still at the top. Although it might be thirstier than its competitors with fuel, it's still cheaper overall and comes with a full size spare tyre.

The Suzuki Swift comes in second place as it sits in between the Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta in terms of overall price. Comes with a space saver spare tyre.



The Ford Fiesta LX Diesel Sedan comes in third. This is the cheapest to fill up but overall is slightly more expensive than the other options (due to a $25,000 price tag). Comes with no spare tyre.

Best Compact Cars of October 2011

While the $25,000 cap on price did not affect the light car segment it's not the case with the compact cars. The cheap Mitsubishi Lancer is still in the mix but it now goes up against the Mazda 3 which is on sale and the Lancer's nemesis, the Subaru Impreza.

All contenders come with Space Saver spare tyres so they're on equal footing in that department.



$20,990 is a hard price to beat which helps the Mitsubishi Lancer into first place.

This is probably the first time the popular Mazda 3 makes the list. Usually the trim level I was after (the Maxx) was hovering around the $26-27,000 mark. Now the Mazda 3 is on sale so the Neo comes with goodies like alloys and extended warranty.

The Mazda 3 fits in between the Lancer and Impreza in terms of fuel economy and price and is consequently second.

The overall cost of running the Impreza is considerably more than the other contenders thanks to being fuel thirsty and the fact that you're recommended to use Premium Unleaded to run it.

Best Light Cars of October 2011

The change in the price limit to $25,000 does little to the light car segment and we once again have the same results as last month.

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is a new contender but already shoots to the top.

While the Honda City has similar fuel consumption to the Hyundai Accent and it sports a full size spare tyre, it can't compete with its $2,000 price difference.



The Ford Fiesta LX Diesel Sedan is actually the most economical out all of the options here. It's just a pity that it uses goo to patch up tyres instead of offering you a spare wheel of some sort!

Change in criteria again

There has been a change in criteria again. Now only cars under $25,000 will be considered on the list which really cuts down the number of cars for consideration (and results in only two classes of cars being reviewed, the light and compact class).

This blog used to use similar criteria before (i.e. cars reviewed would be less than the price of a Honda Civic which was usually around $25,000). The difference this time is that the $25,000 will be a set amount and will not fluctuate as it would have inevitably if based on another car's price.

Best Medium Cars of September 2011

No changes to the medium car line-up as all offer manual transmission, full size spares and all are sedans.



Hyundai i45 is good value for money. While Hyundai's offerings are now comparable in price to their Japanese counterparts, they still come with a bunch of extras and the fuel consumption isn't bad either.



The Suzuki Kizashi came a very close second. Its specs are quite similar to the Hyundai i45 except it loses out by being a few hundred dollars more than the i45.



Once again, the Mazda 6 Classic is third because its slightly more expensive and having worse fuel consumption.

Best Compact Cars of September 2011

$20,990 is a hard price to beat which helps the Mitsubishi Lancer into first place. True you only get a space saver spare, but it's better than no spare.

While the Holden Cruze SRi is slightly more expensive, its 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine helps to give it a good fuel economy. It unfortunately comes with only tyre sealant though - however there is the option to purchase a full size spare.

The new Elantra is not what you'd usually expect to pay for a Hyundai, approaching the $30,000 mark for a compact sedan. The car is also automatic only which I'm not a big fan. One good thing about it though is full size spare is standard.

Best Light Cars of September 2011

This month, I'm going to be looking at sedans only - consequently it'll really only be Light Sedans, Compact Sedans and Medium Sedans being rated. I'm also taking into consideration whether a spare tyre is included or not since in my experience, I've had to do many a tyre change! Finally, prices are double-checked at corporate websites.

The Hyundai Accent Elite Sedan is a new contender but already shoots to the top.

While the Honda City has similar fuel consumption to the Hyundai Accent and it sports a full size spare tyre, it can't compete with its $2,000 price difference.



The Ford Fiesta LX Diesel Sedan is actually the most economical out all of the options here. It's just a pity that it uses goo to patch up tyres instead of offering you a spare wheel of some sort!

Best SUVs of August 2011

As there is only one contender in the large car segment, I decided to go back to SUVs or at least crossover SUVs... or are they wagons?

In first place we have the Mitsubishi ASX. While not the cheapest in the class, it does boast good fuel economy.

In second place we have the Nissan Dualis which is perhaps the cheapest 5-star ANCAP Crossover SUV in the market.

In third place we have the Kia Sportage which is more expensive and fuel thirsty than its rivals, but keep in mind that it's probably closer to an SUV too...

Best Medium Cars of August 2011

Hyundai i45 is good value for money. While Hyundai's offerings are now comparable in price to their Japanese counterparts, they still come with a bunch of extras and the fuel consumption isn't bad either.



The Suzuki Kizashi came a very close second. Its specs are quite similar to the Hyundai i45 except it loses out by being a few hundred dollars more than the i45.



Once again, the Mazda 6 Classic is third because its slightly more expensive and having worse fuel consumption.

Best Compact Cars of August 2011

No changes in top place, with the Hyundai i30 the best value compact car you can buy.



No changes in second place either with the very cheap Mitsubishi Lancer.

With a new Ford Focus coming out from Europe, the price has increased. While the Holden Cruze SRi is slightly more expensive, its 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine helps to give it a good fuel economy.

Best Light Cars of August 2011

Once again, the Ford Fiesta is best value for money, especially the diesel version.



Coming (a very close) second place is the new Suzuki Swift which is the best value petrol light car you can get.

The Mazda 2 Maxx has the same fuel consumption as the Honda Jazz but pushes ahead thanks to a slightly cheaper price.

Honda Insight reduced in price

Apparently the Honda Insight hybrid is now only $29,990. Initially, I thought this meant the car would give other compact cars (like the Mitsubishi Lancer and Hyundai i30 for example) a run for their money. It's only when I investigated the Insight a bit more that I discovered it uses a similar chassis to the Honda Jazz and consequently it's width is the same - meaning it is in fact a smaller car than you'd expect. When you take this into consideration, the value of an Insight isn't as good as initially thought, even if it does have lower fuel consumption levels (under ideal conditions I might add).

Best Large Cars of July 2011

No changes in this segment, considering there isn't much to judge on.



It's rare for large cars to come under the $35,000 mark which is why we've got only two contenders: the Toyota Aurion and the Ford Falcon XR6 (which is on sale). The Toyota Aurion wins this round being cheaper and having better fuel consumption.



The XR6 is not too much more but has a whopping 11.1L/100km in terms of fuel consumption, making it second.

Best Medium Cars of July 2011

Hyundai i45 is good value for money. While Hyundai's offerings are now comparable in price to their Japanese counterparts, they still come with a bunch of extras and the fuel consumption isn't bad either.



The Suzuki Kizashi came a very close second. Its specs are quite similar to the Hyundai i45 except it loses out by being a few hundred dollars more than the i45.



Once again, the Mazda 6 Classic is third because its slightly more expensive and having worse fuel consumption.

Best Compact Cars of July 2011

No changes in top place, with the Hyundai i30 the best value compact car you can buy.



No changes in second place either with the very cheap Mitsubishi Lancer.

The Volkswagen Golf is no longer at a competitive price, so the Ford Focus slots in third place thanks to decent petrol consumption.

Best Light Cars of July 2011

Once again, the Ford Fiesta is best value for money, especially the diesel version.



Coming (a very close) second place is the new Suzuki Swift which is the best value petrol light car you can get.

The Honda Jazz just misses by being slightly less fuel efficient.